A Chance of Redemption - Part 1: Nox
by DyslexicFont
Summary: Megatron is broken and lost, left with a body corrupted by Unicron. He renounced the Decepticons after understanding the true meaning of oppression, but now sees no purpose to his continuing existence. Primus offers him a second chance, a chance to redeem himself...but can he complete the mission, can he repair the damage that he inflicted on the universe?
1. Second Chances

**Back to the beginning…**

**I understand the followers from the original story are worried about the story line, and that I left it at a thrilling cliff hanger (hahaha- that was naughty of me) but I assure you nothing will be changed- well…nothing greatly will change. I have done this for my own benefit to keep the task of writing simple and keep my mind relaxed about the many possibilities I am yet to compose into text. **

**Your favourite characters are safe…for now (mwhahaha), but to build on their characters I needed to break my story into four parts, each part for each quality Megatron must demonstrate.**

**…**

_"Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth"_

_\- Gautama Buddha_

_"As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering"_

_\- Rusty Eric_

* * *

**Chapter 1: A New Start**

Megatron landed in a barren city. The buildings were torn and old, winds pushed and creaked between jagged metal, and the sky was dark. But Megatron did not care. He believed that he was right where he deserved to be; amongst the rubble and rubbish. He was a monster and now he looked like one. Unicron's, modifications were now a part of him, the result of what he had started…and ended.

Megatron sat himself down on a fallen pillar and stared at himself in the reflection of a dirty puddle. Everything was mangled and monstrous, Starscream was right when he said he looked more imposing then ever…he was hideous. But Megatron was more disgusted at what he had done to his planet, to his people and to himself.

"I truly understand now why I was never chosen to be a Prime" he said to his reflection. His words were followed by a tired and regretful sigh. How he wished everything could change, go back to the way things were; when he had friends and trust amongst his people. Now everyone feared him, despite renouncing the Decepticon Cult. After what he had just experienced, feeling Unicron's very essence within him, torturing him like he had done to so many others, it had to end; he had to finish it, all the pain and suffering.

Megatron understood the true meaning of oppression and now no longer wanted to inflict it on anyone ever again, nor anyone inflicting it on others. He may have renounced the Decepticons to Optimus Prime, to the Autobots and to Starscream, but how many other Decepticons were still out there; continuing their normal, destructive activities and spreading fear and hate across the galaxy.

What could Megatron do now? This was the biggest question that lingered in his mind. He was no longer the Leader of the Decepticons and as much as he wanted it to be known, there would be others, like Starscream, who would seize the opportunity to replace him and the fighting would continue. He had no drive, no purpose. What could he do? He could not face anyone, not like this…he was a monster, corrupted by Unicron and still pumping dark energon through his veins. Megatron will never be free from the Destroyer's life-blood.

Megatron looked down at the jagged star on his chest. It throbbed in pain but the feeling was numb, and its glowing pattern showed that the dark substance was still very much alive in his body. He could not look at it anymore and covered it with his hand. How could he have been so foolish, to think he could possess the power of Unicron, to reanimate the fallen and use them against his own. It disgusted him now; it was an evil and sinister act. No more would he toil with such extremes of life, no more would he disgrace his kin in vile acts of hatred and madness, no more should he been known as a tyrant. Megatron looked at his reflection again and traced the miss-matched parts of his helm then looked at his sharp clawed hands and clenched them in anguish.

"No one will ever trust me again" he said to himself, unaware of the glowing figure behind him.

"All wounds take time to heal."

Megatron was spooked by the sudden voice and span off his seat. He saw a tall, glowing mech standing behind him; taller than him but just as broad, he had a turquoise and grey colour scheme trimmed with silver metal and bore a white hue haloing his body. His optics were near white and gentle, his expression was calm and warm, and his voice was deep and wise.

"I was afraid I had lost you to the ways of my Fallen" he spoke again. Megatron was quiet for a moment, testing the situation and observing the stranger. Despite looking passive, Megatron could feel his spark pulsing quicker than normal, uncontrollably. This being was massive and looked immensely powerful, but he could sense nothing false about him, nothing negative or deceptive; purity and kindness was his aura.

"Who are you?" Megatron asked. When the stranger approached Megatron took a few steps back, unsure what he was doing. Obviously Megatron had missed the hint the being mentioned moments ago that would have given the ex-tyrant a clue to his identity.

But then Primus was aware that Megatron did not believe in spirits.

"I am the creator of life and the father of millions" he said gently.

"Primus" Megatron breathed and Primus nodded gently.

"Correct my boy and thus you have become my brother's favourite puppet" he said approaching Megatron closer and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Megatron was realising that he was in the presence of his maker, the Creator, Primus. He was lost for words as for many years he never believed Primus existed and that he was merely the core of Cybertron. To be in his presence, Megatron felt ashamed and very mortified about his condition and appearance, his meddling with dark energon and nearly being the cause of Unicron's resurrection on Earth. Megatron looked away,  
too embarrassed to look into the eyes of his Creator.

"You are ashamed?" said Primus knowing very well that he was.

"I am and you should know. I would ask for forgiveness but- I believe I do not deserve it" replied Megatron still neglecting his gaze.

Primus sighed, venting deeply and assured his gentle grip on his shoulder "What is done is done, Megatron. You chose your path long ago and lost yourself because you yourself were treated with hate and fear. Deprived to the lowest level of being, along with so many others, it pained me to watch you and your followers struggle with the corruption that infected you all, but it was even more painful to watch as you fought against each other, using violence to solve your matters and resulting in dividing the people in two"

Megatron shut his optics when he was once again reminded by his unforgivable crimes and traumatic past, guilt and disgust flooded his corrupted spark.

"However I sensed something within you, the moment you were free of Unicron's hold, when you renounced your Decepticons and truly understood the mistakes you had made. I saw something inside you, something I thought you had lost."

Megatron gingerly looked up at Primus who wore that same gentle smile.

"It has taken you some time to fully understand what you have done, the pain you inflicted upon everyone, to learn that fear and hatred are not the ways for accomplishing others to follow you, and oppression is a selfish and dishonourable suit for leadership. How very much alike are you and my Fallen" Primus paused at the thought, that smile never fading, "But I see now that you are not like him, now you have learnt what is the outcome of your selfish acts and how they persist catastrophic impacts upon others, and my brother – only – encouraged it when you toiled with the dark energon. If anything it should be me asking you for forgiveness, to have such evil still lurking around at your reach…it is quite embarrassing as a creator to let you play with such vile substances" Primus chuckled warmly, thinking of the concept that he was a bad parent.

But Megatron did not find anything amusing.

He was hurt, confused and ashamed for what he had done. He looked at his clawed hands that trembled without reason, he controlled himself breaking down with emotion, but he was on the edge of it; his emotions were piling up like a mountain and an avalanche was imminent. Megatron did not know what to do with his life, he had made such a mess of everything and everyone would still fear him; even more now that he looked like this, like a real monster. Primus could sense and see Megatron's tower of emotion. He knew what Megatron was unforgivable and thus knew he should be punished for his crimes against Cybertron, Earth and his own people.

But Unicron had beaten him to it.

Megatron was broken, mangled and lost; he had had his punishment and now it was time for a change. Cybertron had been restored; it was a new start, a new age, a new life. "Megatron you must now learn to forgive yourself. Cybertron has been restored and the All-Spark has been returned; life flows again, and you have been given a second chance to make it right; to redeem yourself."

Megatron's gaze snapped to the glowing figure and his optics widened at his words. "How can I redeem myself if no one will trust me?" Megatron asked out of desperation.

"Remember what I said, that all wounds take time to heal and trust is the hardest to reclaim, but in time it shall be rewarded to you. In order to redeem yourself you must demonstrate generosity, selflessness, sincerity and compassion. Demonstrate these qualities and I will restore your body and purify your spark of the Dark Energon."

Megatron thought for a moment, occasionally moving his gaze as his mind deliberated with reasons. To be free of the Dark Energon and to be rid of his mangled carcass would be a blessing, he could not refuse. But doubt hung heavily in his thoughts, could he demonstrate these qualities? Megatron had never felt kindness before or love, so how could he appeal to Primus when he had no knowledge of sentiment?

"Do you accept my offer?" asked Primus interrupting the prolonged silence. Megatron snapped his gaze to the glowing figure again and sighed deeply.

"I believe that I will not be able to complete the task. I have neglected sentiment, I have no knowledge about these areas you wish me to perform" he replied doubtfully.

"I will guide you through your journey. I will provide wisdom but cannot interfere with your actions nor can I manipulate their outcome. Whatever decisions you make you must commit to and deal with unexpected situations that will create mile-stones in your path."

Megatron was hesitant but desperately wanted to be rid of the poison that coursed through his veins, to breathe the free air again and walk among his people as a free being.

"Where must I begin?" he asked. Primus chuckled softly.

"Where it started Megatron" he replied, creating a milky-silver portal and encouraging Megatron to follow through.

The portal's end opened in an organic forest. Megatron exited alone, Primus must have disappeared and left him to it. He felt like he had been tricked and thought he was being punished instead, forced to live his remaining days upon a solitude world. But then noticed a wisp of light twinkling above him and assume it was a representation of Primus's presence. Somewhat relieved, Megatron took in his surroundings; thick and lush organic matter covered the ground while large trees blocked out the sun and the atmosphere was heavy and humid.

Megatron was alert to the extensive heat but was not concerned about the affects it would have on him, it was not too extreme, yet. But catching his eye was an artificial road, made out of stone, planted in the middle of forest and disappearing into the distance. With no guidance or clue as to where this road would lead Megatron followed it, hoping it would lead him to where he needed to be.

* * *

Beyond the dense forest stood an oddly shaped building, it was domed, with dark dusty windows and rusty hatches. It was the remains of a vessel, a transport and was very large; covered with Cybertronian markings and a scratched Autobot insignia on its hull. From a distance it looked like a mossy mountain but up close its metal skin was buried deep within the earth that embedded it. Vines and shrubs took root within plating and gaps making it look part of the landscape. Encircling the old vessel was an artificial wall, made from remaining ship parts and organic constructive material; stone and wood.

Within the wall, accompanying the ship, were hundreds of little shelters and houses made from the same materials as the wall. They were filled with Cybertronians who were selling, trading, working and living. There was a busy atmosphere and a low level of dust hovered above the crowds as they moved frantically between one another to reach their destinations. An off-worlder may see this small community as lively and bright but would be oblivious to the deceptive and misleading conducts that ran deep beneath it. This city was under Decepticon control and had been for many years.

The planet was called Nox, an organic planet living in the shadow of the large gas planet Ruuma. It was one of many refuges Cybertronians fled to in order to escape the war that devoured their planet. Before Megatron attacked Earth he was aware of these colonised planets and sent multiple squadrons to each of the planets in order to take control of the people and rule them until Megatron returned and reclaimed them. But things soon got out of control. The crime lords who inflicted martial law became greedy; using slavery to control the civilians and moulded these cities as their own personal realms.

They were unaware that Cybertron had been restored and were unaware of Megatron reversing his mistakes.

Amongst the tradesmen and huts was a transformer youngling. She had just collected a crate of energon, a crate almost the equal to her size and was carrying it above her head. She was very careful and nimble as she pushed through the busy crowds, trying to reach the large dome shaped building that housed the Decepticon crime lord, Sinister, and her master.

The youngling bore tight chains around her wrists that were bound together and connected to a heavy iron ring around her neck. Her primary colour was a blossom pink with a white undercoat that was soiled by dirt and dust collected over the passing years. She had blue optics, once filled with joy and happiness, but now replaced with sadness and fear.

The youngling carried the heavy crate to a flight of stairs that led to the entrance of the large building. Two Decepticons stood guard the arched doorway. They were both tall, both had red optics and both bore malevolent weapons that were clearly visible.

The one on the right side of the door, a colour of orange and dark grey, seemed less interested in her passing than his comrade, who watched her warily as she walked between them. "Wait!" the other guard snapped, making the youngling freeze and turn on the spot. She felt chills shooting down her spinal structure as the massive bulk loomed over her smaller frame.

The Decepticon was huge compared to her; baring a grey and blue colour scheme with angry red optics and had a massive cannon attached to his right arm. The female always feared this one; she had been beaten many times by him and had lingering scars to prove it.

The Decepticon looked into the crate and took one of the glowing containers of energon. The female looked at him with beady eyes as he casually drank the contents. "Ay, get moving you little scamp!" he growled at her, realising the youngling was still there.

She quickly turned and proceeded inside.

The dome building was actually hollow; the hull was only the shell of what was once a mighty vessel, everything else, every wall and extended room, the furnishings and layout were all constructed by Autobots and the Autobot elder Silverwing, before he was murdered by Sinister when he and his Decepticons arrived and took over the colony.

Sinister's modifications to the already modified building included a throne. It was comprised of a dark purple metal with menacing spikes and protrusions extended from the sides and back panel with a red Decepticon insignia. This insignia was personalised as Sinister's own sigil, to mark him a different affiliation within the Decepticons. The uniquely red colour, crowned with Decepticon markings and characters, expressing Sinister's personal proverb, 'As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering'. This altered symbol and caption were engraved at the top of the throne, conveniently placed above his head when he sat to show everyone who entered his palace that this was his rule, this was his city and these were his people.

Accompanying his throne, with his new changes, there were two long tables that stretched along the walls, meeting the throne and were always occupied with drunk, power-lusted Decepticons. All high on energon and intoxicated by the heavily scented air that always reeked and created a hazy atmosphere. It was always uncomfortably warm to those not settling upon the benches or reclining along soften couches. Curtains, of different shades of red draped from the ceiling, covering the makeshift windows and blowing gently with the light wind, but still prevented efficient fresh air to flow.

The main chamber was the largest chamber. It housed as Sinister's reception and audience room. When the youngling entered she was unruffled by the level of noise and activity in the chamber, as it was quite normal for Sinister to throw lingering festivities. Her master, Sinister, sat leisurely upon his treasured throne with two slave girls chained to its base, one sitting obediently on his lap. It disgusted her, whenever she saw him smooching up to one of his slaves, one of her friends. They were all her friends once, always looking out for her and playing childish games with her before the invasion. But now they were sad, they had to mask their true emotions with smiles to avoid being beaten, Sinister forced them to be happy or he would make them unhappy.

Again the youngling pushed and nimbly manoeuvred through the crowds, occasionally getting tapped on her rear by a crude hand or two, being called foul remarks or unpleasant pet names. The Decepticons didn't care how old she was, they didn't care how many times Sinister struck her and didn't even consider if she would survive the coming years. They were all sick, drowning in their untamed power, they did anything they wanted to, with anyone they wanted, and if she refused would be severely punished.

The youngling headed straight for her master. His colour scheme was black with red markings. He was the tallest out of _his_ Decepticons and had a malicious beast alt-mode. He had fangs that could be seen every time he laughed or smiled, his had bat-like wings protruding from his shoulders and draped over them while he sat. His optics were vibrant and narrow, purple slits that carried terror and greed, and yet his clawed talons tapped with upon the arm rest, emphasising his boredom.

He perked up when he spotted the youngling making her way to him.

"Ah, my little Esri, how nice of you to join us" Sinister purred watching the youngling approach with the crate. She placed it down and bowed obediently, but when she turned to leave a large hand seized her small arm. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked, his voice sickening to the female and hated every time her master forced her to stay at his parties.

Sinister moved the current female from his lap and replaced her with little Esri. Her feet swayed slightly when she could not touch the floor while on his knees and neglected his gaze as she hated looking into those fearsome optics. Sinister was no paedophile but did enjoy tormenting his slaves and although Esri was far from being an adult she was treated no different.

She was also one of the first to be Sinister's slaves along with her mother who died many years ago from the abusive treatment inflicted by the crime lord. Esri also had a sister but was sold to another crime lord long ago and hadn't been heard from since. Esri was on her own and dreamed of a better life far from here.


	2. More than Chains

**My dad is a lovely man and always had this mystifying idea (I reckon that where I get my imagination from) that the Sun is getting ever so closer to Earth, as it is, and that we- the meat popsicles -must jump from planet to planet in order to get away from it. Now that sounds a little mad but think about it, all the planet before Earth are inhabitable because they're too hot right, and Mars, after us, is potential habitable in...some...million...future...years, and can you guess which planet comes after? Its Jupiter! What is exactly happening under all that gas aye, is it creating the next planet? Is it? IS IT? Well its pretty to big to begin with, who's to say?**

**Its only possible if you believe it so ;)**

_"Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth"_

_\- Gautama Buddha_

_"As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering"_

_\- Rusty Eric_

* * *

**Chapter 2: More than Chains**

"Arhh! You little minx!" yelled Sinister.

He quickly shoved the little youngling from his lap as he stood and brought his hand to his lip. The Decepticon had tried to kiss Esri, properly on the lips as a reward for her good obedience and to show off to his subordinates how much control he had over the colonists. But as he forced the kiss upon her, Esri bit down hard upon his lip, puncturing the softer metal, leaving small dent marks and even spilling energon.

Sinister laughed as he wiped the small trail of blue fluid from his petty wound. He continued to laugh, in a wicked tone that froze the very energon in Esri's veins. She hated his laugh, she hated him. Esri winced after she landed awkwardly on the ground before the throne, the abrupt fall didn't cause injury, younglings were quite resilient at her age, being young and flexible, but it still hurt. She got to her feet, clutching her arm that hurt from the fall and stared at her master with fearful optics. He still laughed and flexed his wrists.

"Ah yes, my little Esri, how very much alike, you and your mother. Both spirited, both resentful" he said calmly, relaxing back down on his cushioned seat. He slouched and overlooked the quivering youngling with his poisonous optics that burned directly into her blue ones.

He sprang up again, a sudden burst of energy giving him a quick lift and casually approached his little slave and brushing a clawed hand over her smooth helm. The touch was cold to Esri, it caused her to shiver. She knew she was going to be punished; she denied him, resisted him.

He leaned close to her audio receptor and whispered, "Do you know what I did to your mother the last time she refused my affections?"

His voice made her shudder.

Esri hated when Sinister spoke of her mother and constantly reminded her how he treated her. She shut her optics tightly as memories of her mother's crippled and broken body appeared in her mind. She died not long after Sinister's 'affectionate' treatment leaving Esri alone with this veil being to be bullied and tortured. She felt exposed every time her mother was mentioned; her emotions collided and it made her spark ache with mixed pain.

"…How she cried in agony when I ravaged her again and again, until she bled!" Sinister sneered on. That last part he pressed his face plates against the back of her helm and inhaled her unique scent. He kissed her there, savouring and tasting; running his glossa lightly over her smooth metal. "Fortunately for you my dearest, I do not like spoiling my fruit until they have fully ripened."

Esri shivered at the disgusting sensation when that slick thing licked her.

"Digo!" Sinister suddenly yelled, making the youngling cringe at his volume.

Esri soon heard a familiar foot fall pattern. She dared to turn to see the grey and blue Decepticon from the entrance making his way across the room. She knew what was going to happen next and turned away.

"Digo please demonstrate how we punish those who refuse their master's affections" Sinister instructed as he returned to his throne and watched in mirth as his subordinate seize Esri's small arm. She yelped and struggled in his tight grip, trying to get free. She heard the sound of him activating his laser whip, the sound buzzing close to her audio receptor. She trembled in fear, sensing the crude weapon being raised in the air, ready to strike.

All the slaves in the room watched in horror as they heard the cries of the youngling echoing around the room as Digo struck her again and again until she bled. Some turned their heads, no longer able to witness the energon that leaked from the brutal scars left on her back. He struck her without mercy, without even considering her age; she was a defenceless female youngling, it was cowardice of Sinister to cast such neglect over something so pure and innocent. He truly was a monster.

But none of the Decepticons cared.

Once Digo had served his purpose, when he had finished dealing out the punishment, he simply walked off and returned to his post guarding the entrance. Esri remained rigid on the floor, whimpering and crying in pain. Slowly, the youngling managed to collect some remaining strength to stand, shaking on her legs that threatened to buckle beneath her, but found stability. She still clutched her arm and pierced her icy optics into those poisonous purple ones.

Sinister smiled with triumph as he stared down at the pathetic little being. She had a strong mental fortitude to keep her gaze upon him, but then she took off, running away as fast as she could go. The Decepticon watched her go and made no attempts to pursue. She knew she had to come back eventually, he could wait until then.

The other Decepticons return to their business. Some laughed at what had just transpired, some were quiet and a few, only a few, were shocked.

But Sinister beared them no mind, as long as they respected his rule and followed his orders he didn't care what they thought. The crime lord checked his lip again for energon; he felt the small cut on his lip and smiled to himself. He was cracking her, but like her mother was very spirited. Sinister pulled one of his slaves upon his lap as he deliberated. He would enjoy breaking the rest of her.

* * *

Megatron had walked for hours, following the white stone road that had no end. It never turned or came to a junction, just an endless long trail leading him deeper and deeper into the forest. The trees seemed to getting bigger and taller the further he walked, and still the sunlight was been prevented through the branches, only the tiniest glimmers of golden light dared to peek between the leaves.

The hot and humid air increased and created condensation between the seams of Megatron's armour. His fans were active and were already in overdrive. The uncomfortable and sticky sensations made Megatron frustrated, as his randomly chosen path just didn't seem to end.

He looked at the road beneath his feet.

The white stones, stained with brown soil and dust indicated that it had been constructed many years ago. Some stones were even missing, small pot holes filled with dry mud and rooted grass. It was very old indeed. Still he could not recognise it, why then was he here?

Eventually the road did end, but it had led Megatron to an enormous single tree. Its trunk was broader than him by a measurement he could not calculate alone. It reached beyond its seedlings and stretched further than any other tree. The ex-tyrant growled in frustration and folded his arms as he thought. He closed his optics and cursed himself for walking so blindly. It was dead end.

Megatron looked back at the massive tree and saw it had no important significance, so why did the path suddenly end at its feet?

"This is a complete waste of time" he said roughly and punched the massive trunk, barely shaking it.

"Do not take your frustration out on the trees, Megatron" said Primus's voice. The grey mech turned to see the glowing being standing behind him and still baring his tranquil expression.

"You compelled me to this mission, guided me to this planet and yet I have no knowledge of its significance to me!" Megatron snapped removing his fist and leaving minor damage he had inflicted upon the solid wood.

"Calm yourself Megatron, the task I have assigned you is not a simple one. You must be patient, intuitive- think -you have been here once before, many years ago before you entered Earth's chapter" Primus replied calmly.

Megatron tried to remember and turned back to the large tree. He gently brushed his claws over the newly engraved marks he had made, flecking loose bark as his digits were dragged across the jagged surface. He frowned, something did feel familiar and he suddenly looked up and saw the large pink gas planet shadowing down upon them.

"Nox…" he said and realised where he was, "This is one of the refuge planets"

"Yes" Primus whispered greatly, "Little Nox. They say the planet Ruuma birthed it from its ruby breath, you can see it still swirling above us as if birthing a new world" The Creator turned his gaze to the giant gas planet.

"I sent Decepticons to this planet to maintain the surviving civilians until I had conquered Cybertron. I remember the one I instructed as the commanding officer; a crime lord by the name of Sinister. He was one of the most feared being on Cybertron and controlled majority of the underworld conducts before the Great War began" Megatron's gaze drifted as he remembered the black mech with the red markings.

"Unforgivably this being of cruel and veil actions is still operating upon this very world. He has taken control over my children for many years and opposes anyone who dares disrupts his rule" Primus said, his tone carried sadness and Megatron felt it tug at his spark. Regret and anger returned and he shamefully looked away from the Creator.

"He must be stopped" he said finally and decided to walk a new random path into the jungle. Primus materialised into his wisp form and twinkled after him.

Megatron's chosen path led him to a small clearing with serene pool in the centre. A gentle breeze caused the smallest of ripples and rustled the tall grasses and flowers that encircled it. It was peaceful scene and Megatron walked right up to the water's edge. He saw his reflection in the pristine water and frowned at himself. The mangled metal, the monstrous growths and Unicron's modifications were seen clear as day. Megatron looked away when he could not bear to look at himself anymore. _This is ridiculous_ he thought to himself.

Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes and captured Megatron's attention. He posed defensively, ready to face whatever came out from beyond the thicket. His optics watched carefully but then quickly widened when he saw a Cybertronian youngling burst through and slumped to the water bank when her legs collapsed under stress. She trembled and wept. She was hurt, trails of energon could be seen staining her already foiled colour scheme and he noticed the heavy chains that bound her hands together.

Esri wiped tears from her face but they continued to fall. She hated this place, she hated him. The brutal wounds on her back throbbed harshly, feeling the waves of pain pound in her head and-… just everywhere and everything hurt. She cried and cried, out of pain, out of fear and loss. Never had Esri felt so alone in her life, so vulnerable and hurt. She wanted to leave, she wanted to run away, gamble with her life alone in the thicket, in the rainforest or anywhere, just anywhere, away from Sinister and his hell.

Esri could feel being watched and looked up to see the stranger looking at her in utmost astonishment. At first she didn't know what to think of him. His frame was terrifying, his claws were sharp and his optics were red, but they weren't angry. She didn't like him, didn't like the way he just stood there, looking down at her with those red eyes.

Esri tried to stand to run away but the pain from her wounds was too intense, so she winced and shied away instead.

Megatron did not know what to do, or what to think on that matter. He could see she was a slave; the chains and collar were a clear indication of that. But just looking at her, how pathetic and weak she was, it touched him deeply, and when she looked at him, with optics filled with pain and fear made him boil with an emotion he could not name.

This was the work of Sinister. It looked wrong, it _felt_ wrong!

To think anyone would inflict such poor sentiment upon a defenceless child.

But Megatron did remember he too conducted foul feats upon those who defied him. Actions he did not commit personally but got his subordinates to do it for him. That lingering, unknown emotion throbbed painfully in his spark and he cursed quietly to himself. Without giving it a second thought, the ex-tyrant approached the whimpering whelp and tried to find appropriate first words.

"Are you hurt child?" he asked as gently as he could. Then Megatron wished he had swallowed his words, _what do you think, of course she's hurt fool!_

The youngling whimpered as she looked up at him, his colossal frame towering over her like a shadow. She gasped and shuffled away in fear.

"I will not harm you" he quickly added and knelt down to her level, believing his size frightened her…he alone frightened her; all he had to do was just stand there and scrutinise her like some worthless drone. No- he must not think like that now. He must…use different methods. "I will not harm you" he repeated, his voice surprisingly soft.

But the youngling continued to tremble before him; falling back on her hands and staring at him in absolute terror.

Megatron overlooked her condition and focused on the chains tightly around her wrists. "Do your bounds hurt you? I can remove them" he said and stretched out his clawed hand. Esri backed away from it, trying to not let it touch her. Megatron withdrew his hand for a moment, "Let me help you, I will not hurt you. You have my word."

He reached out again, Esri shied away, expecting pain. But then felt a small tug on her wrists and a once heavy weight was gone. She quickly looked at the now broken bounds, hanging from the large ring which the claw hands easily pulled apart.

Megatron gathered the cluster of metal in his hands and gave the youngling a small smile, "You do not need these anymore child" he said and tossed the chains into the pond, rippling the still water.

Esri looked back at the stranger trying to understand why he did that.

"Do you have a name?" Megatron asked.

The youngling remained silent, there was no trusting this stranger, surely there was some deception behind his motive to remove her bounds without consulting her master about it. Was he worse than Sinister?

It was clear to Megatron it was going to take some time to earn the youngling's trust. He adjusted his position so that he was sitting comfortably beside her. He did not attempt touching her again, he simply watched and waited.

About an hour past and neither had moved. Esri had her optics glued to Megatron, her wounds hurt less and she had stopped crying, the stranger's presence had become very distracting. It still puzzled her why he removed her chains, or why he was even here. She looked at his optics, they were red with hate but sadness was clearly visible- and there was something else in his gaze as well. He had turned his gaze some time ago and became distant, looking beyond the thicket and deep within his thoughts.

There was something about him, it was not clear to Esri what that was, but she was more curious than afraid now. A Decepticon, well she believed he was a Decepticon; he had red eyes and a dangerous face, but was not delivering harm? This truly was bizarre to her.

"A-are you a Decepticon?" she dared to whisper.

Megatron jolted at her sudden voice, almost forgetting that she was there. He looked at her, fear could still be seen but he could hear in her voice that she was curious.

"Indeed girl. I am Megatron, I was once the leader of the Decepticons" he answered fully, wondering how she would react.

"But Sinister is the leader" she replied, "And he's mean, you are not"

Megatron snorted at her response, deliberating the concept, "He is on this world child, but I once ruled him along with many others and now I do not" he said plainly, tuning his gaze towards the pool as that obnoxious feeling in his spark returned.

"You were mean?" she asked.

Megatron looked at her, "I was child. I was very mean. I have done many terrible acts that are unforgivable-"

"Did you kill people?" she asked, cutting him off.

He nodded, "Many people; your kind, my kind, even other kinds. Many perished in ways that you could not start to comprehend. In a sense it should be me in those chains and not you"

Esri looked towards the pool where the chains now rested on the sandy bottom, "So why did you break mine?"

Megatron vented deeply before he replied, "I was taught a valuable lesson about my mistakes, about the terrible crimes I have committed. I truly understood that what I desired was not meant to be. I have been very foolish with my life and need to start undoing the damage I have caused. I broke your bounds because it was me who put you in them, it was my mistake" Megatron faced towards the pool again, watching the reflection of the afternoon sun shine upon its still surface. "I am very sorry for what I have done to you, for what have done to your people- to our people. I swear to you that I will never let anyone put you in chains again"

"It's not your fault" Esri said suddenly, catching the Decepticon's attention, "Sinister put the chains on me, not you" she got up and cautiously approached him, "and you took them off, so that makes you nicer than my master"

Megatron smiled at her naivety and rested his arms atop his risen knee joints, "What is your name girl?"

"I am Esri" she said, returning a small smile.

"Hear me now Esri, Sinister is no longer your master. You are no longer a slave and no one shall ever hurt you again. You are a free Cybertronian Esri, should anyone threaten you, be assured that you can rely on me for protection. Do you understand?" The youngling nodded. "Good, now I need you to take me to Sinister"

"Why?" she asked.

Megatron stood up, causing her to stumble back a few steps as he was quick about it, "So that I may also free your people and your family"

Esri turned very sad very quickly, "I have no family" she mumbled.

Megatron's optics widened in realisation and quickly knelt back down, "I am sorry, Esri" he said gently, "Did Sinister…?"

Esri nodded vividly and the tears returned, "H-he killed…m-mother and s-sent Hova a-away!" she cried.

Megatron tentatively reached out with his hand but the youngling suddenly threw herself into his embrace and sobbed against his shoulder. It was strange to think that not a short moment ago this youngling was terrified of him and now she wanted his comfort. He carefully patted her small frame, making sure he did not scratch her with his claws. Megatron did not know how long he let her weep against him, he did not repulse from it; the feeling was rather warming. This petty and yet somewhat necessary sentiment was important to both of them.

"Esri, do you know where Hova was taken?" Megatron asked gently into her audio receptor and she simply shook her head, rubbing against his metal. "Is she your sibling?"

"M-my sister" she whimpered and looked up at him.

"Is she still on this world?" he asked.

Again Esri shook her head, "No, s-she was taken on a ship and it left a long time ago. I-I haven't seen her since then"

"Then I promise you this, little Esri. Once I have liberated the remaining Cybertronians enslaved upon this world, I will help you find Hova and reunite the both of you"

"You promise?"

Megatron looked into those blue optics that seemed to burned into his very own, "I promise" he replied and hugged her tightly, feeling that same warmth flood him again and ensured a secure hold on her fragile existence. She needed protection; she needed a guardian, could he be that for her?


	3. Thrones and Titles

**I enjoyed writing this chapter. Its so spicy and its only gonna get better, mhm...gotta love them bad characters**

...

_"Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth"_

_\- Gautama Buddha_

_"As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering"_

_\- Rusty Eric_

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Thrones and Titles**

It was a long walk back to the colony. The hot afternoon sun still burned down upon the dense rainforest, increasing the humidity and continuing to build the clammy atmosphere. There was a cool breeze. The winds changed, and every now and then it would brush over the condensation building beneath their armour, refreshing the travellers and making their journey somewhat bearable.

Megatron admired the thicket, distracting his mind from the intense heat. The large trees, never comparing to that enormous single one in the centre of the forest, were all still abnormally large. Vines and shrubs grew within the bark of the trees, small plants grew upon large ones, things hung from branches, and there was an abundance of flowers everywhere of all shapes and sizes. A constant flow of water could be heard from somewhere nearby that kept everything lush and fertile. It all just emphasised how thick the forest was.

Esri climbed over a massive tree root that sat in the middle of her path, it erupted from the earth connecting to a nearby tree, and was covered in small ferns and moss. Megatron easily lunged over it and was amused at how large it was; the trees of Earth could not compare to the ones of Nox, they were just enormous.

Megatron withdrew his gaze from the thicket to the youngling happily trailing ahead. He saw her back, he saw the scars. Fresh or dated it not matter, they were all menacing and brutal. Megatron was accustomed to seeing the foulest of battle scars, the harshest of wounds, as he was one who inflicted such damage upon another, and yet seeing the large and angry wounds on the youngling's back and shoulder struts was disturbing to him.

He had to admire the child's strength and fortitude. There was no telling how long she had been living such a hateful lifestyle, how many times Sinister had abused her or why she remained online for so long without taking her own life. _She is too innocent to contemplate suicide_ he thought, and as he watched Esri climb over another excessively large tree root, he could not help but notice she carried pride, she walked with a unique kind of courage he had not seen before, despite her trauma.

Megatron snorted as she toppled over and quickly collected herself. Her demeanour was inept but dainty, firmly modest and very naïve.

"You know your way through here rather well, my dear" he said, again easily stepping over the next root.

"No one else does but me" Esri replied, pausing to look back at the Decepticon. "Please don't tell Sinister, he'll hit me if he found out"

"You need not worry Esri. You have my word, I will protect you from anyone who would dare to inflict harm upon you" Megatron assured and gently patted her helm.

The youngling giggled and sprang off again, nearly tripping over smaller roots and shrubs, "Where are you from?" she asked suddenly.

"I herald from Cybertron, my dear" he replied and ducked under a low branch.

"And are all Decepticons from Cybertron nice like you?"

Megatron smirked at the near impossible concept, "No, most Decepticons are not known for their kindness. We lived to punish and enslave. The more appreciative ones are the honourable ones"

"You must be an honourable Decepticon then, it's why you are nice to me" The youngling's words hit him deeply, as he knew he was far from honourable. "So where's Cybertron?" Esri asked.

Megatron nearly hit the next low branch when he looked upon her after she asked about her home world. It surprised him, but considering her young age it would stand to reason the youngling had been born after Cybertron went dark. She had lived on Nox her entire life.

"Cybertron is far from here, it is where your ancestors originate from" he finally answered.

"Oh, are you my ancestor?" she asked, staring up at him.

Megatron chuckled, "No child. I have no family"

"Why?"

"They all perished long before you were born, girl" he answered.

"I only had Hova and mother before she died, but I have not seen Hova in a long time, I think she's dead too"

Megatron readied for more tears but they never came. Esri's face was expressionless though, he understood it hurt to talk about them and he did not blame her, she was very young to be without a parent or guardian.

"I understand that siblings have a unique bond within their sparks. They are linked together with your genetic code, providing the ability to sense and feel your brothers and sisters no matter how far apart you are. You can always know if they are online or not" Megatron caught her gaze and stopped walking. Esri also stopped and turned to him, "Can you feel Hova's spark with your own?" he asked.

The youngling's gaze deviated a few times, indicating that she was trying to connect with her sister's life force. She then nodded, "Yes, I can feel it. It's like a second spark pulse" she said and hovered a hand over her concealed spark chamber.

"Then Hova is online and we will find her once I have dealt with Sinister" Megatron assured, placing a comforting grip on her shoulder. "You must have faith, Esri"

The youngling nodded, "Okay"

* * *

When Megatron and Esri reached the edge of the forest it just ended. Beyond was a desert. The earth was hard and dry beneath their feet, brown tuffs of grass here and there, and hot wind sprayed them with dust and dirt.

The colony of mismatched buildings lay before the forest, some of the larger trees covered various sections, but they were majority exposed to the hot sun. Megatron noticed another white stoned road leading directly towards the structures and wondered how he had missed that path.

Suddenly, he felt something grab his leg and noticed Esri cowering behind him. "Stay close to me" he said and started approaching the petty-material gate.

The walls were as old as the roads. Grass and plants pushed themselves between gaps, dirt turned to harden mud to hold pieces together. But despite its appearance, it was rather sturdy, built well and had survived longer than he had originally believed.

Megatron remembered when he first arrived here and the refugees had barely finished it. He remarked that it would not hold and did not care how long it would take to fall. But now looking at again it could have survived longer than the war.

There were two guards posted outside the gates. They were vehicons, grounders, but unlike the preferred and typical purple, these ones were a shade of red. Blood red, Sinister's colours; they were Sinister's troops and were completely obedient to their master. Ah, yes, Megatron remembered why he discarded the crime lord to this planet. Sinister ran most of the underworld back on Cybertron during its Golden Age; he was a large threat to Megatron when he began his uprising. Sinister was very good at buying favours from others, he was filthy rich from all he had done and no one could be more adequate at buying Megatron's entire army than he was.

Megatron destroyed Sinister's small empire, who was not at all pleased about it, and forced him a stature in his army, only because he needed his talents to recruit others and manage energon levels. But Sinister was a clever bot, he knew how to deal with people, how to climb his way to the top. Eventually the snake had rebuilt a smaller force within Megatron's ranks, he accumulated more powerful assets and allies, regained his old title and eventually began eating his way through Decepticon forces.

When Megatron discovered this treachery he established a mutual agreement with Sinister, dictating that he could keep his loyal followers but had to leave Cybertron, and thus ended up here to secure the refuge until Megatron returned. But of course their reunion was very much delayed.

But why keep him alive, why let Sinister continue to function? It was so tempting for the ex-tyrant to terminate him, back in the day, and he had many opportunities to do so. But Megatron needed him, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. Sinister's talents were essential to the Decepticons, if not for this aspect; Megatron would have ripped his spark out the moment he stormed into that nightclub nine million years ago.

The ex-tyrant vented deeply as he approached the guards. Now he had to re-face his demons. Would they recognise him? Would they fear him? Megatron disliked the way the guards casually leaned against the mismatched wall; it put an uneasy feeling in his gut. His energon felt cold and tingles travelled across his frame. How would he make them listen if he was no longer the leader of the Decepticons? Well…they don't know that, yet, what harm would it do to say a little lie?

_I know what you are deliberating, Megatron, but you must remember to be sincere no matter the temptation_, he heard Primus say. The Decepticon turned but saw nothing; he must be in his head or something.

Megatron growled at himself in frustration. He felt Esri's little fingers grip him tighter when they arrived at the gate, he knew she was afraid to face the crime lord again…and so was he. He had no army this time to back him up, no Soundwave, no weapons. All he had was his strength, the dark energon in his veins and terror-filled youngling cowering behind him.

"Halt!" the guard said, standing up and deliberately placing himself between the stranger and the entrance, "No one enters Desert's End unless invited by Lord Sinister personally" he said again, holding out a servo to signal him to stop.

"We have not been invited, I have come to speak with Sinister, personally" Megatron countered, glaring aggressively at the smaller Decepticon.

"You gotta name?" the trooper rudely asked.

The ex-tyrant snorted at the disrespect; "Surely the name of Megatron is familiar to you!" he answered harshly.

Both vehicons jumped at the known name and eventually recognised their former leader behind the mangled metal and anomalies. The sudden realisation came with a new change in attitude and tone.

"M-my greatest apologies sir, but you still need to have an invitation from Lord Sinister in order to enter the city" the same trooper replied.

"Lord Sinister…" Megatron muttered, "Then go tell him that I demand an audience with him!"

"N-now sir?"

"Oh, no, whenever you have the time- of course I mean now you worthless scrapheap!" he snapped causing the vehicons to jump and run to deliver the message. Megatron glared at the other guard who passively backed away. Then, Megatron continued inside not waiting for the insubordinate lug-nut to return.

A hush fell over everyone as Megatron navigated his way through the crowds. Conversations were silent, movement was paused; all activity came to a sudden halt. Esri remained behind Megatron the entire way, occasionally peeking out but only to see how far they were from the palace.

They saw at the top of the stairs the red vehicon talking with the guards. All three were surprised when Megatron, with the youngling, climbed the levels and stopped right before them. Digo gestured to the vehicon and he quickly entered the palace.

"Lord Megatron, your presence is unexpected" the large Decepticon said to him.

"That is because I was not expected" he countered and glanced at the second guard who remained silent.

"W-well I'm sure Sinister will-…" Digo cut himself when he spotted Esri hiding behind Megatron's legs, "You worthless whelp, you dare cower behind Lord Megatron!" he hissed and made an attempt to reach for her.

Esri gasped and ducked but the hostile claws never came. She looked up and noticed Megatron had seized Digo's arm in mid-motion. She heard her tormentor wince in pain; she saw the fear in his optics.

"You will not touch her" Megatron hissed, his voice pouring fear into Digo's audio receptor. He applied a crushing force upon the foreign limb and caused more strains of pain from its owner, "Attempt to touch her again and you will lose your appendage. Do you understand?"

"Ah, y-yes…sir…" Digo felt circuits snap within his arm as the grip refused to loosen, "yes, yes I understand, Lord Megatron!" The moment he was released he retreated his arm and nursed it close to his chest.

"Take me to Sinister now!" Megatron growled and Digo quickly stumbled back. He led Megatron through, not before the ex-tyrant took another glance at the second guard, who appeared unruffled by his presence or at his comrade's insubordination. A still expression, composed posture, there was something about him that made Megatron feel…uncertain.

After his quick observation Megatron thought nothing more of him and followed grounder inside the palace.

* * *

Sinister was caressing the hip joint of one of his slaves, sitting upon his lap, when the vehicon came staggering through. He almost tripped as he ran directly to his master, catching the eyes others and making a great fuss. Sinister looked up and lazily leaned his face against his fist.

"What is it now, you reach your final upgrade or something?" he asked with amused boredom. The vehicon was about to answer when Digo also came through with Megatron not far behind.

"Lord Sinister…" Digo called from across the room.

The crime lord was surprised when he recognised the warlord stalking his towards him. He now understood what the urgency was, but unlike his subordinates, Sinister was not afraid of Megatron. This was actually a golden opportunity.

"Lord Megatron, I see you have found your way back to Nox. How come we didn't detect your ship's energy signature? Were you trying to sneak your way in, I assume Soundwave found a way to mask your signals" he mocked, "He was always the clever one"

"I am not here to discuss traveling arrangements Sinister" Megatron replied. He remembered how much he disliked Sinister. Such a sleaze, always overconfident and his appearance, his abnormal alt-mode beast form, just added to his fraudulent nature.

Sinister chuckled "Of course not. You must be tired from your long journey, please make yourself comfortable; choose a slave or two. I have quite the stock and am willing to share what I have. Perhaps if I knew you were coming I would have prepared a more fitting reception" he said and gestured to the room. But then he noticed a familiar face hiding behind Megatron's leg. "Is that you, my little Esri, hiding behind Lord Megatron?" he purred.

The youngling pressed herself harder against her protector and Megatron felt her grip tighten again. She did her best to conceal her tiny frame but was spotted anyway. She wouldn't dare to face her master again, not even with a towering giant in front of her.

Sinister smirked and tapped his slave's thigh, indicating her to get off so that he could stand.

"Esri, what have I told you about respecting your superiors? Cowering behind Lord Megatron is not respectful my dear-" Sinister attempted to seize the youngling but Megatron gave him a dangerous glare and blocked him.

"Perhaps you should be displaying some respect, Sinister. I found this poor child chained and wounded outside the walls, unprotected and alone. I would have believed you were more benevolent towards the young, but then, you are not known for sentiment are you Sinister?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, before you go playing the blame game Lord Megatron, perhaps you should remember who is also not known for sentiment" Sinister countered, straightening his posture and returning his hand safety by his side. "By the way, loving the new battle armour, I have not seen that model before, must be the next craze. Monstrous and repulsive, I reckon it suits you well"

"I assure you it's quite temperamental" Megatron replied and flashed his optics at the crime lord, wanting the challenge.

Sinister maintained his smug expression and a silence grew between them. Everyone else in the room was dead quiet. The nail-biting scene was too intense, no one dared to break it before one of them did or risk being in firing line.

The silence continued until Sinister sensed something off about his 'mighty' leader and broke the prolonged silence with a clap of mirth, "Oh why must we argue upon such a memorial occasion? You may keep the whelp if you wish, though I believed you were into something with a little more age" Sinister chuckled and comfortably returned to his throne. "But I will warn you, the girl is quite the trouble maker"

The crime lord was quite intrigued at the way Megatron protected her from him and that glare that dared him to try to snatch her…why the sudden change of spark? He mused over this why the warlord remained rigid with his arms cross and his expression stoic. It tickled him with joy to have the 'mighty dark lord' in such a vulnerable situation. How he had been dying to seize such an opportunity.

"So, my lord…" he mocked, "What may I trouble you for? The last I heard from you, would threaten my life and dumped me here without clearly explaining the reason for my exile"

Megatron adjusted his crossed his arms but kept his senses on alert, "You very well know what those reasons were Sinister. You were a dangerous thorn in my side-"

"And yet as much as you wanted to deny it, you needed me. It is why my head is still resting up here and not decorating Kaon's Gladiatorial Arena" Sinister produced a smug smile on his face plates and Megatron ever so wanted to walk up and tear it from his jaw. "I wonder how that made you feel, to so desperately want my head and yet could never take it" he chuckled, "And it seems you need my help again. Tell me, 'Lord Megatron', where's that favourite bot of mine, Soundwave? Did he break his vow of silence when you received your new upgrade or has he figured out you have no bearings underneath that armour of yours?"

Megatron wished he had his fusion cannon right about now, "Soundwave was unfortunately lost in battle with my last skirmish with Optimus Prime" he replied, feeling somewhat saddened by the loss of his oldest friend.

"Oh that's a pity, I did truly wish to know what he hid behind that visor of his, I now guess we shall never know. Hmm… food for thought, the _untold_ mystery" inwardly Sinister could not have felt more overjoyed to know that Megatron's faithful body guard was gone, leaving the ex-tyrant wide open. "So, you have no ship, no Soundwave and by the looks of it no army, so please enlighten the most intriguing of riddles, why have you come here Lord Megatron?"

The grey Decepticon could feel a chill running up his spinal structure as the concealed threat alerted his senses. Megatron was beginning to doubt Primus's assignment, how, by the _Pit,_ was he going to defeat Sinister with no army, with no allies at all?

Everyone listened intently for the reply. To see the warlord so exposed was foreign to many, no one but Sinister could dare threaten him and live to smile about it.

"I am here for liberation"


	4. Truth and Lie

**I do apologise for the wait. All I can say that Christmas took the energy out of me and I could barely think. I struggled through this one, just the thinking part but the writing was fun. More grease and grime in this one...so juicy I love it!  
**

**...**

_Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth._

_\- Gautama Buddha_

_As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering._

_\- Rusty Eric_

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Truth and Lie**

Sinister observed Megatron from the comfort of his throne and pondered with the words the warlord had just spoken. "Pardon me my lord, but it sounded like you said liberation. Care to explain what you mean?" the crime lord asked.

Megatron glared at him, "I said I am here for liberation, Sinister. That means freedom-"

"Yes, I know what it means, but what exactly are you liberating, hmm? Let me venture…you had your last battle with Optimus Prime and by the looks of it you came out alive, a minor victory, but there is something else isn't there? You have come for something otherwise you would not be here" Sinister leaned deeper against his seat and sighed with hidden delight, "So, did you conquer Cybertron and are you now liberating me of my stature once again? Or were you defeated, exiled like me and are now looking for liberation?"

"Neither of the presumptions are correct. I am here by my choice alone…" Megatron replied, but his voice carried an edge in it, which made Sinister raise an optic ridge. He then met Sinister's gaze, his optics narrowed and focused. "I did not conquer Cybertron nor was I defeated. A series of events followed after my seemingly demise on Earth, which in turn led to my new form you see before you. After nearly losing Cybertron to Unicron and being at the mercy of the Chaos Bringer, Optimus Prime and the Autobots successfully achieved the impossible and restored our home world to its former glory. Life flourishers with the return of the All-Spark and I… I have been sent to Nox on a mission from Primus to release all Cybertronians still trapped in fear and oppression. They must be allowed to return home, to live upon our new world in peace and to free them from tyranny!"

There was a moment of silence before Sinister barked out in laughter. The hysterical and wicked sound filled the entire room. No one else joined in, they were all unsure whether or not to interfere, for the fear of being shot or glared at was too much of a gamble to take. Not with such tight circumstances.

Megatron frowned and tensed the moment Sinister burst. He felt Esri grip him tightly and pushed herself closer against him. She hated that sound; it always meant something awful would follow.

"You…aha, you honestly believe, after our long history together, I would believe your lies?" Sinister chuckled some more, "Oh come now Megatron I know you better than that. All this talk about _Unicron_ and _All-Spark_ is pure nonsense…"

"It is the truth Sinister! While you have been sitting here, enslaving everyone and creating more hatred for our kind, I ended the final chapter of the war and thus created a new era. I have been given a second chance; we have all been given a second chance" He gestured with a wave of his hand, "Have you not ever wanted to change your fate, to change the fate of others and have a chance to start all over to make it right?" Megatron turned to the other Decepticons, "Do you not all desire something more than this, all this misery and hate? Do you not wish to walk among your own kind without being mocked or gawked at, to feel you can put trust in your sparks from those around you? Do you not all want a second chance to redeem yourselves and put an end to all this oppression once and for all?!"

Another silence grew after Megatron spoke his mind. Many of the others looked at each other as the words mused in their heads. The slaves were astounded, by the response and by Megatron's declaration. They too could not believe that after all the years of pain and suffering, the warmonger had inflicted upon them, that he was now reversing all that he had done. Truly it was unbelievable.

But as the silence continued on, without a response from a single soul, Megatron felt his doubt returning. Icy tingles travelled up his spinal structure and he tried to recall what he had particularly said, wondering if it had all made sense.

Sinister was enjoying himself. His energon boiled with satisfaction as he savoured every moment of humiliation Megatron was bringing upon himself. He was deliberately being quiet. It was so good to see the once mighty overlord looking so deprived and vulnerable. It was sweet revenge; all he needed to do was break the golden silence and thus began to clap.

Megatron turned slowly with a glare that could kill. Sinister was standing from his throne and was giving him a mocked applause. "Haa, my dearest Megatron…if there was one aspect I enjoyed most about you, it was your ethical orations. You certainly know how to use your words to _inspire_ everyone, look at how speechless they all are. Well I would be too if you were talking madness" Sinister's tone dropped from mockery to dangerous. "You truly are a Decepticon if you believe you can deceive your own kind Megatron"

"No, I am no longer Decepticon, I am not deceiving you! I swear to you all it is the truth!" Megatron growled to everyone, "I have renounced the Decepticons, they are no more! I am no longer your leader. I release you all, do as you wish I will not repel. Return to our home world if you desire and relive your lives in this new age!"

"Say what you like Megatron, but all of _my_ subjects are quite comfortable where they are. They do live freely and do as they wish, and they very-much-so understand what happens to traitors and deserters who dare say otherwise" Sinister replied and confidently paced towards him, "So…you declare yourself no longer our _Supreme Leader_, you declare yourself no longer a _Decepticon_ and the only one who believes you is that cowardice resentful whelp." He gestures to Esri, "You're nothing really…nothing but a traitorous thorn in my side…" Sinister recited the very words Megatron called him before exiling him to Nox. And as he began encircling the ex-tyrant, he secretly signalled to Digo and two others behind him, "But if you truly believe that you can waltz in here, like some wannabe peace lover and take my empire away you are sadly mistaken"

Megatron turned with him, making sure Esri was always behind him as Sinister stalked them.

"This is the last time you will try to take it all away from me. This is my world, my reign with my rules. These are my people and I will decide what fate lies before them, and be assured I will put your input to good use. You may not want to play with thrones anymore Megatron, but I am still in my prime and I have been dying to seize an opportunity such as this. You are weak, defenceless with no one around to back you up. A real shame really, I was hoping for more of a challenge"

"They are not you people Sinister! They are their own people, free people and they can decide their own fates!" Megatron retorted, sensing imminent danger.

"Look around you blundering oaf! Do they look free to you; can you not see their pathetic miserable faces? No…they are not free, never will they be free and neither will you!"

Sinister gestured to his men who nodded and speared Megatron with electric prods. But the warlord was quicker. His speed and skill still served him well as he seized one of the prods when spotting it from the corner of his optic. He pulled it passed him and impaled it into the second attacker, instantly sending huge amounts of pain through his body before collapsing to the floor. Megatron then pulled the prod free from its handler, span on his heels and smacked his opponent with his own weapon. The force of the hit threw the poor Decepticon into one of the tables and startling spectators.

That left Digo, who was a little shaky when the warlord snapped the prod in two with ease.

The look Megatron gave him made his veins freeze. He certainly was bigger than him and stronger, even without a weapon there was no arguing that Megatron could very easily rip his arm off like he had threatened before.

Megatron began to advance on his last opponent when a terrified scream rang in his audio receptors. He whipped around and saw Esri in Sinister's hold. He had taken the opportunity to snatch the youngling while Megatron was distracted.

"Release her at once!" he demanded.

"You are not in a position to be making demands, Megatron" Sinister retorted and grabbed Esri's other arm when she began to struggle against him, "I'll be giving the orders now!"

"I said release her Sinister- arrh!" Megatron felt an unbelievably surge of pain channel its way through his body.

Digo had stabbed the warlord while he was distracted by Esri's capture. The youngling let out a frightful yelp when her guardian dropped lifelessly to the floor. She kicked and wailed in Sinister's grip but he slapped her hard to make her stop. She collapsed but the clawed hands holding her arms prevented her from touching the floor.

Sinister lifted her up and gazed into those icy blue optics, "You are mine once again my dear. Remember what happens to those who resist their master's affections?"

"No…let me go…Megatron!" Esri cried.

"Your precious Megatron cannot help you now my sweet, he will serve as a reminder to all those who believe they can take what rightfully belongs to me!" he chuckled and headed towards his chambers, pulling the child with him, "Take the peace lover to the courtyard, I'll deal with him shortly"

"No, don't hurt him!" Esri's petty request was ignored as she was forced away. She caught a glimpse of two Decepticons dragging Megatron's motionless body towards the side entrance and to the courtyard for all to see.

* * *

Sinister tossed Esri into his chambers the moment he stepped inside. She cried and tried to escape but the Decepticon seized before she reached the door. He dragged her relentlessly towards his berth and chained hers wrists to the edge of it.

"No, let me go- urh!" the youngling wailed and received another brutal smack across her face.

Sinister growled and seize her by the chin, "You listen to me now kid, you wanna live through this then you better start behaving. I don't want to hurt you like I do with your friends, but you are really starting to grid my gears. The next time I see you without chains I'll stuff them down your throat!" Sinister roughly threw her backwards, creating a wince of pain from the youngling. She glared at him with angry optics but it only made him laugh. "Ah, that's more like it, nice and spritely. Now I must deal with that lug-head you have put all your hopes into, don't go anywhere!" he sang and left while laughing wickedly.

Esri watched him go and curled into a ball. She wept quietly as all her hopes of a better life fell like the tears that fell from her face.

* * *

Megatron slowly woke to a blinding light in his eyes. He tried to block the strong light with his hand but it was trapped behind his back, wrapped around something broad and solid, and when he tried to tug away from the obstruction, he felt his hands were bound together.

Realising this sudden abnormality Megatron snapped awake but grimaced when the light of the burning sun damaged his outer-optic receptors. He dimed his optics to save himself more damage and looked away from the sun. He soon found Sinister's toothy grin and he growled in disgust.

"Too bright for you?" the crime lord sneered while kneeling down to become eye level with his prisoner. Megatron turned away and looked at his new surroundings. They were in the city square. Three large pillars of ruby stone, chipped and age, stood in the centre and Megatron was locked to the centre post for all eyes to see.

"I suggest you make yourself comfortable, you're going to be here for a while" the crime lord said, tilting Megatron's head to face him.

"Just get it over with. I cannot stand to live with myself after all I have done. I do not deserve this second chance" Megatron hissed, flashing his optics to emphasis a challenge.

"Termination is the easy way out Megatron, you do not deserve easy" Sinister sniggered with delight before turning dangerous in his tone again, "I am going to make you suffer in more ways than you can imagine, after everything you did to me I will have my revenge upon you and to that you now hold dear!"

Megatron understood he was talking about Esri and something inside warlord snapped. His optics began to burn with anger and tugged at his restraints, hoping they would break free and provide him with the liberty of tearing Sinister's head from his shoulders. But to no avail, they would not budge. In fact they felt tighter every time he struggled against his bounds, restrictive-stasis cuffs, Sinister truly has gone to a lot of trouble to imprison the old warmonger.

The crime lord beamed at Megatron's reaction when his accusations were correct, "I never would have guessed that a relentless warlord, such as yourself, would feel the need to protect something so worthless and pathetic, perhaps all that time fighting with the Prime has brainwashed you into becoming an Autobot…"

"I swear to the _Pit,_ Sinister, if you inflict a scratch on her head I will break you in half!" Megatron threatened. But Sinister felt very safe in his position and enjoying Megatron's.

"And how would you do that, with the pillar on your back? I doubt you would break your bounds before you reached my chambers" the crime lord laughed and stood up. "What was it that you said before; our lives were miserable and full of hate? Well…I'm certainly not miserable, in fact this is becoming the best time of my entire existence, seeing you at my mercy, tied in chains and humiliated by all to see…hmm, perhaps I could start an attraction with you? Let's see, the Great and Mighty Megatron, betrayer to the Decepticons by becoming an Autobot…now won't that be one for the historical texts, hmm?"

Megatron felt sickened at the thought, but it was the truth. He was not an Autobot but he did sound like one. After everything he had done, all that he had conducted, the veil and sinister acts of insanity and now turning towards peace that truly did sound mad.

But Megatron truly did wish that he could reverse all that he had done. Sinister was always a bad seed and will always be a bad seed, but it was Megatron who ignited his fury and let him become the monster he is now today. He nurtured his evil.

When Sinister saw the undeniable truth in Megatron's optics, the shame and regret, he readied his fist and drove it plainly into warlord's jaw. It was a brutal hit. Energon sprayed from Megatron's mouth and stained the dry earthed ground. Sinister drove a second hostile fist against his cheek plates when Megatron repositioned his head, throwing it in the other direction and wounding the sensitive metal.

"I have waited three millennia to do that" Sinister said nursing his knuckles, "Now…since you no longer desire to be leader of Decepticons, and that's fair to agree with, I do believe it is time for new leadership. But if you believe that the Decepticon Cult will just wisp away like smoke…well I am going to have to disappoint you yet again. You started this rebellion nine-million years ago and failed to conquer Cybertron as-you-repeatedly-declared you would achieve. How sad that that reality never came, all your dreams of a perfect Cybertron washed away by the seas of time. It is quite satisfying as a _Decepticon_ to see you fail"

Megatron painfully looked at his tormentor as energon leaked from his mouth and scarred face. With the built up energon collected in his mouth he spat at Sinister, "You truly believe you could be Leader of the Decepticons? This is bad comedy; I'd rather an Autobot take the leadership!" Megatron taunted, chuckling as Sinister wiped the foul mess from his face plates.

The crime lord was disgusted but kept his smug smile planted on his lips, "I'm glad you still have some fight in you" he said as he began to walk away, "I will enjoy breaking the rest of you"

* * *

Esri still wept as night fell. She had been left alone in Sinister's chambers for a while now, with no energon and no visits. But she knew Sinister would return at some point. This was not the first time she had been chained to his berth as punishment for her disobedience.

But that wasn't the worst part of it.

This was one of Sinister's more _sinister_ punishments and the one Esri hated the most. Here she would wait for her master to get completely hammered on high-grade energon, from one of his lingering parties, and take one of his slaves back to his quarters to engage in 'night' activities. Esri would then be forced to watch and listen as he would inseminate one of her friends and constantly remind her that she would one day be one writhing beneath him, crying in pain and pleasure, despite his handling of her.

It disgusted Esri to the brink of purging. She did in fact purge on a few occasions and was then forced to clean it up. After a traumatic night of watching forced interfacing, Esri could not sleep for many days. Foul imagines and sickening sounds returned every time she powered down, and they would not be forgotten.

When Esri heard the door open she shut her optics tightly and refused to gaze upon her master. More to the fact she could not bear to see which one of her friends would be going through the joined punishment. But she could recognise her voice.

The petty protests and pleading cries from the unfortunate femme indicated to Esri who is was, Illumanine. She was one of Sinister's younger slaves and Esri's oldest friends. The youngling ducked her head when she felt her being pushed down upon the berth with the drunken lord upon her. Esri could sense her tears and caused herself to cry. She wanted to leave, she wanted to run.

Her faith in Megatron began to falter, he had promised that no one would ever let anyone harm her again, that she would never be in chains again…but here she was, trapped in Sinister's palace, chained to his berth and being harmed in more ways than ever before.

He had promised her that once he had liberated everyone on Nox they would find and rescue her sister, but how could he do that when he was chained up in the city square? Would he keep his promise?

Would she ever escape this nightmare?


	5. The Orange Guard

**Yay new chapter! I like this one, I love my new character and had lots of fun introducing him. Please inform me of any mistakes or errors, I do have dyslexia...and yes I write, what of it...actually writing helps me with my dyslexia and helps improve my vocabulary and articulation. But doesnt mean I'm perfect, and no matter how many times I re-read it, or my co-writer re-reads it, I always find hiccups :)**

**Now, to enlighten questions while you read, NAILS - is an acronym from the Transform G1 comics. It stands for Non-Aligned Indigenous Lifeforms - for anyone who hasnt read them ^^ They're awesome by the way, just got into them.**

**Another query of yours might be Esri's defined age...well as Optimus Prime told us that Autobot life spans are greater than ours...so I played with it...so you could say Esri is the equivalent to an eight year old girl (in human years).**

**Enjoy!**

**_..._**

_"Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth"_

_\- Gautama Buddha_

_"As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering"_

_\- Rusty Eric_

* * *

**Chapter 5 – The Orange Guard**

Sinister was true to his word.

He held in his hand a malevolent weapon, one capable of extreme pain and agony and designed for sinister purposes. It was a whip with nine long chains hanging from the end, and on the ends of the chains were small jagged pieces of metal made of an alloy so strong and sharp that it could tear into the toughest of armour.

Sinister raised the weapon into the air for a final blow. It already dripped with dark energon, staining its grey colour and dripping onto the ground around him. Dark energon trickled from the wounds on Megatron's back. Deep scars went beyond his armour, into the sensitive proto-form and even revealing his mechanical structures- his bones. It was a horrific sight. Sinister had brought Esri to watch, just to spite him further, but she passed out when energon poured from her guardian's body. It was too much for the traumatised youngling.

Sinister struck one more time. The force of the blow channelled through Megatron's frame, jerking him forwards and bringing more pain than before. Sinister watched in wicked delight as Megatron drooped in his restraints, groaning faintly in both pain and exhaustion.

"Cut him down and return him to the square" Sinister ordered and signalled Digo to take the unconscious youngling back to his chambers.

Megatron fell from the wall once his bounds were released. He could barely stand. The pain was beyond measure but it was even more sad to know that Megatron believed that he needed this, that he deserved to be punished no matter how extreme the penalty.

Once again Megatron was chained and left at the mercy of the climate and the searing sun. But this was only the first day and knowing Sinister, there was more punishment to be done. Megatron closed his optics and leaned his head back against the pillar. He could feel every single one of his wounds throbbing harshly on his back. It stung even more when the wind blew sand against him, grinding against his tender metal, making it extremely uncomfortable.

Those walking by stared at the warmonger, getting a good look at what has become of the once mighty leader of the Decepticons. He heard whispers of their conversations, some believed that he deserved this while others argued that he shouldn't be treated so brutally given his crimes, but should still be punished in other ways. And a few…only in few words did he hear some speak of sympathy for him.

Megatron did not care what they thought; he could barely look at them. His body demanded rest and recharge, but something caught his eye. A blurry figure of orange and dark grey watched him from the scaffolding of a market stall. But before he could see the figure clearly it left. Megatron would frown had he barely enough energy to even tilt his head forward. He thought nothing of it and closed his optics.

* * *

Early that evening Sinister returned to his chambers and found Esri awake by his berth. He frowned at first, trying to understand the youngling's logic behind her fondness of his prisoner. What had Megatron done to earn the kid's trust? Did he promise her something? Was it a hoax, a trick into coaxing the child and using her to get to him? Outrageous! Even now Megatron still conducted in his usual deceptions.

Sinister brought a smile to his lips. How very…_Decepticon_ of him to deceive a child.

"Evening my sweet, feeling better?" he asked merrily. Esri did not look at him; she stared blankly at the space in front of her. What she focused on was unclear but Sinister knew she was thinking about Megatron. "Do you really believe Megatron would help you?" he asked and got the same empty reaction. Sinister thought for a moment and then realised, "Did he promise you freedom and- perhaps –locating your sister and _liberating_ her too?"

Esri looked at him instantly when he somehow knew what Megatron told her in the forest, how did he know? Sinister's smile grew toothy. If it was anything he understood about the youngling it was that she was very close to her sibling, to her family and would do anything to see her again. Sinister almost shot himself, why didn't he consider this before? She would be more obedient if he used the sibling as a threat. No matter. It was working now and at a golden opportunity.

"All I can say to you now Esri is that you cannot trust Megatron. You cannot trust him. Not now nor ever" he continued.

Esri blinked, "W-why?"

"Do you know who he is? What he has done to you and your people?" Sinister sat on his berth beside her, trying to act sympathetic, "You believe I'm bad and mean, well- you should have met Megatron before he came here. He was a monster and only enjoyed making others suffer. He has killed many of both Autobots and Decepticons…even nails like you"

"But that was before he came here. He already told me who he is; he told me he did kill lots of others…"

"Because he wants you to feel sorry for him, to lure you in like all deceiving Decepticons do. He's the leader of the Decepticons, the worst Decepticon. You must believe me when I say he will terminate you, the moment he has the opportunity, the moment you turn your back, he will"

Esri turned away. That wasn't true was it? He…he wouldn't betray her.

Sinister beamed at her reaction, this was too precious "I'm actually trying to protect you from him. He cannot harm you while he's out there, chained and penalised-"

"But why am I in chains? When I first met Megatron he took mine off and threw them in the water. He said he wouldn't hurt me, that no one else would hurt me and that I would not be in chains ever again?" Esri countered.

"The chains ensure your safety Esri, to keep your distance from him. I know you wish to see him and to help him, but if I did who knows what other lies and deceits he will tell you. He will plague your very mind, coax you into believing he's the good guy, but deep down beneath all that misleading truth is a Decepticon"

"But he is the good guy" Esri said looking back at him, "I can feel it, I like him. He may have been a Decepticon before but now he isn't. He told me that honourable Decepticons are good Decepticons, and he is an honourable Decepticon."

Sinister laughed out hysterically. Esri jumped from his sudden outburst and shuffled away from him a little more. "Oh…ho ho, you believe Megatron is honourable? HA, he's everything but that!" he mocked.

"M-Megatron said the same thing. But I know that those who tell that they are not honourable actually are. It is in their sparks, they just don't know it yet!" Esri replied.

Sinister laughed some more, "How pathetic, did your mother tell you that? She was more insane that insanity itself!"

"No you taught me it" she said and Sinister's smile disappeared.

"What do you mean I taught you that?"

"You didn't do it directly, but I learnt by watching you. You showed me what true evil is and so anything that is not equal to your ways must be good" Esri watched as her master's face changed and felt somewhat proud that her words made him furious. But when Sinister wore that toothy smile again, she was the one to change her face.

"You are so surprisingly intelligent for you age. How old are you now? Twenty years, thirty-five…?"

The youngling glared at him, "I am thirty, but do you know what else you taught me?"

Sinister chuckled at her petty threatening tone, "Enlighten me dear"

"I also know that everything you say is a lie! That Megatron is a good person and you're the evil one. I don't believe you! I don't believe anything you say and I never will!" she yelled.

Sinister was quick. He reached over and slapped the youngling hard across the face, splitting the young metal and spilling energon. When Esri looked at him after the blow, he saw the trail of energon falling from her face. He seized her chin making her cringe, "You little frag! How many times must I teach you to never raise your voice at me! I've been holding back but I believe it is time to literally beat the lesson into that rebellious mainframe of yours!"

His voice was like hearing death itself. Fear quickly returned into Esri's optics and she tried to pull his hand off her.

"Digo, your presence is requested in my chambers!" Sinister yelled into his com-link.

* * *

The burning sun and hot temperature prevent Megatron from achieving a proper power down. He watched the remainder of the sun seep away and was looking forward to the cooler night. A cool breeze could already be felt gently brushing over his exhausted frame. His optics followed the sun as it disappeared into darkness, only to hear a rustle of noises and a voice he knew all too well.

"Wake up filth!" he heard Sinister call out. Megatron looked towards the crime lord and realised that Esri was being dragged along by Digo who held a whip handle in his other hand. He tried to look as unruffled as he could but pain was still plainly seen on his expression.

"What are you- Arh!" a fist of fury hammered into Megatron's face and silenced him quickly. The warlord panted, waiting for the blunt pain to subside before lifting his head again.

Sinister nursed his closed hand and knelt down. He looked mighty mad at something but saw Megatron's fatigued and pathetic body and that infamous smile returned, "I wasn't going to punish you more tonight, but even now you piss me off and this time I'm real mad!" he gestured Digo to bring the youngling forward. "You are really wretched if you believe you can pour deceits into this little girl, perhaps you are still a Decepticon at spark, hmm?"

"I never spoke a single lie to Esri…I am not deceiving anyone-"

"You promised this worthless whelp that you would free her from my hand and search for her sister didn't you?" Sinister broke off, turning the ex-tyrant silent.

"Yes, I did. I promised Esri once I have dealt with you I will find Hova and reunite them" Megatron replied confidently.

Sinister smiled, "How kind of you, a shame you are not known for fulfilling promises" He turned to Esri and looked her in the eye, "He's deceiving you. Can you not see it?"

Esri looked at Megatron who shook his head, "I am not deceiving you Esri. It's the truth. I will help you find your family Esri. You must trust me" he pleaded.

"And how can you do that while in your current condition Megatron? You can barely stand, let alone raise a fist at me" Sinister mocked.

"Be assured Sinister, I will always have strength to tear you apart. No matter what you do to me, I will rise and you will fall!" he countered.

Sinister just laughed in mockery, "Ha! You are no Optimus Prime, Megatron. Your heroic words do not shake me!"

Megatron smirked, "They don't have to. _You_ just need to know them"

Sinister glared at him, but then again felt safe in his position and sighed deeply "Say what you wish it will not matter. I will break you, today was only the first of many punishments you will endure before your demise. I will beat you until you can no longer stand, until you bleed dry and your existence is on the brink of nothingness. I will then replenish you, just enough to keep you alive and then start again, so that you may feel every ounce of pain I am yet to conduct upon your poor and miserable body. You will beg me to terminate you, to end your life so that the pain may end. But I will not. You will be at my mercy, you will suffer and when you suffer…" he points to Esri, "…she suffers"

Megatron glared at him, "No- you can't-"

Sinister backhanded Megatron to silence him, "I can and I will, and I will make you watch!"

"She will not survive- ugh!" Sinister hit him again.

"That will be your burden to bear. You included her in you attempt to depower me. It is your fault that she will endure this punishment, it is your fault that plagued her mind with false hopes, and it will be you fault that she will perish because of it!"

Sinister signalled Digo. The grounder handed his master the whip and restrained the youngling in a crushing grip. Sinister activated the laser whip. It hummed and cracked as the power channelled through it and a long yellow ribbon of light materialised from its handle. He then turned to Megatron with an evil grin and traced his clawed digits over previous scars on Esri's back.

Megatron jerked forward and pulled on his restraints, "No, stop this Sinister! This is madness, she is only a child!"

"That never stopped you" Sinister countered coolly and stepped back to get a good distance. He raised the whip into the air. Megatron continued to protest but it only encouraged him. He was savouring every plea and pathetic excuse not to go through with it. It fuelled him. Megatron would learn, in one way or another that challenging him was the greatest mistake in his entire existence.

The whip struck.

Esri screamed.

Megatron heard Esri's cries as they echoed around him, and continued to hear them as Sinister continued to strike her again and again. He desperately pulled on his restraints but the cuffs tightened with each tug. He watched as the whip tore into Esri's back. The weapon was not a menacing as the one Sinister used on him, but it was still cruel of Sinister to inflict any damage upon the youngling no matter what weapon he wielded.

Energon trickled down her back. Blue instead purple, but it was all the same.

"Sinister stop…!" her screams rang in Megatron's audios and he cringed at every sound, "She cannot take any more, strike me not her!" he begged.

But Sinister didn't stop. He laughed as he continued to inflict harm upon the child and with each hit came satisfaction. After all the years of performing the same punishment upon the same person, now was even more delightful and pleasing than ever.

Hidden and silent, a pair of watchful optics observed the horrific scene. It too couldn't bear to hear the youngling's cries any longer. He removed a unique device from his subspace, it was extremely small and round like a complete sphere. It had two small fins mirroring each other on its surface and at the end it had a very sharp pointy tip.

"Enough already!" Megatron bellowed, causing Sinister to pause for a moment to glare at him.

"One more word out of you and I'll rip your voice box out!" he threatened, unaware of a dart that attached itself onto the whip.

"Then do it, if it means you will stop tormenting her!" Megatron replied.

"Even if I did I would not stop. I've been restraining myself from doing this since her mother passed. But now she's crossed the line!" Sinister raised his hand again.

Esri cringed when she sensed the final blow. But as Sinister was about to strike the whip sparked and deactivated. He was surprised when the vibrant yellow ribbon retreated back into its handle and malfunctioned in his hand.

"What? Unbelievable!" Sinister glared at Digo, "You told me it was functional!" he growled and pegged the weapon at his subordinate.

Digo dropped Esri and fumbled with the weapon when he tried to catch it, "I don't understand Lord Sinister. It was working the other cycle" Digo explained and began examining the weapon. As he brushed his hands along the handle, the dart was knocked off and fell into loose pieces, leaving no trace that it had been there.

Megatron almost believed it was a miracle when Sinister's weapon deactivated on its own, but movement in the distance made him wonder again. He caught a glimpse of an orange wing tip and frowned in curiosity. But he removed his thoughts from the stranger and focused on Esri's rigid frame at Digo's feet.

"Esri?"

Sinister grabbed the youngling and realised that she was still online. He admired her resilience but she was known for it. "Never mind that now, take the youngling to the cells, I have had enough of her for one night!" he hissed, tossing the child to Digo and left.

Megatron watched painfully as Digo took the weak youngling away. His optics burned with anger when they fell on Sinister's frame disappearing into the shadows. He vowed then and there that he would tear Sinister apart, piece by piece.

* * *

Dawn came. The morning sun touched Megatron's metal and although it was warm and welcoming, the gentle heat would not last. He kept his optics shut and shuffled his face away from the sun's rays, seeking shade. Fortunately a shadow loomed over him and he stirred at the sudden changed. He woke and saw blurry feet in front of him. With his glassy vision Megatron could not tell who it was.

"Come to mock me?" he sneered, believing it was a Decepticon. It was a Decepticon, but…

"I have not come here to mock you. I have come seeking clarity" said the visitor.

Megatron frowned at the voice. It was accented, foreign and yet familiar. He looked up and realised it was the orange guard from the entrance to Sinister's palace, the one who gave him that uncertain feeling.

"I know it was you who made Sinister's whip malfunctioned. Who are you?" Megatron asked.

"I am Jester, I am one of Sinister's allies" he said and squatted to become eye level with the prisoner.

"I thank you Jester. I feared Esri would not have survived another attack from Sinister last night"

"I may be a Decepticon, but there is no honour in hurting younglings, particularly female ones. They are more precious than energon in these times" Megatron nodded in agreement, "But you should not be thanking me yet. She will still be tortured by Sinister. There are many weapons that he can still use to inflict harm upon her and upon you"

"Are you here to assist me?" Megatron asked.

"That depends…"

"Depends on what-"

"On what you said the audience room was true" Jester said, looking directly into his optics.

"It is true" Megatron replied and looked down at the star on his chest, "I know I am not worthy of anyone's trust, not now and perhaps not ever. But if you had experienced what I have endured, if you have witnessed what I have seen, and after countless years to strive all your efforts based on one single goal and realising that it was never truly what you had expected it to be, then inflicting oppression on others is something I no longer desire"

Jester watched him closely. He heard the guilt and sincerity in his voice, it was all too clear that whatever conveyed upon Cybertron was true. His expression was deprived and drowned in doubt…but why doubt? What exactly is he here for?

"And what is it that you desire now?" Jester asked.

Megatron looked at him, "To be free- to free everyone –from all this hate and suffering. I was approached by the Creator Primus who compelled me to a mission that would release me from this absurd form, which you see here, and to rid my body of the dark energon that pollutes my spark"

"And what about Esri? Did you promise to reunite her with her sister?"

"Of course I will-"

"Because if you deceive her, you will crush whatever little hope she has left" Jester said firmly, watching Megatron for hidden fraud. "She looks strong and she is resilient, but nothing is truly forever. She will not survive another day like this"

The ex-tyrant shamefully turned his head away as he deliberated. Something tugged at his spark again, that same and foreign feeling returned, and now more than ever it was pulsing hard.

Jester tilted his head at the silent response, "This child needs you Megatron. I saw the way she clings to you, not since her mother passed have I seen the youngling more attached to someone. Whatever she sees in you must be true or she would never have given you her trust"

"I need her too" Megatron muttered before returning his gaze to Jester, "I vow to free her and her sister, to reunite them once again. However…the only obstruction in my path into achieving that possibility is my current situation. Will you help me Jester, if not for me then for Esri. She has been at Sinister's mercy long enough"

Now Jester deliberated and out of the corner of his optic spotted Sinister approaching with several others trailing. "For Esri I will, but not now" he replied and quickly stood up.

"It must be now, you said it yourself she will not last another day-"

"Hush, Sinister approaches. Not now, later" he enforced and backed away from the prisoner.

The crime lord approached the two with spring in his jump and a toothy grin, "Ah, Jester indulging yourself I see, perhaps one day I'll allow you to practice your swordsmanship on him and carve a new face for him with that large claymore of yours!" Sinister mocked with a wicked chuckle, "bring him over to the wall and we can begin day two"

The excited tone in his voice could compare him to a beaming child. Sickening is what it was, but Megatron expected nothing less as his aching body was dragged away.


	6. Slow Sincerity

**I do apologise for this chapter being delayed. I had a life that needed attending to, but be assured I have not forgotten this story :)**

**...**

_Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth._

_\- Gautama Buddha_

_As long as greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering._

_\- Rusty Eric_

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Slow Sincerity **

Three days past.

Esri was released from the cells and was once again back to doing her usual feeble tasks for Sinister. She had grown silent since that night. Not a word or sound escaped her, not even the throbbing scars on her back made her wince in pain. She was heartbroken, upset and angry. This new attitude didn't go unnoticed. Her fellow slaves and old friends quickly picked up her new blank and empty demeanour and became concerned for the youngling's wellbeing. But neither dared to comfort her, not even approach her, Sinister had made it perfectly clear that no one was to go near the youngling unless given permission directly from Sinister himself.

Of course Sinister noticed her new behaviour as well, but was not bothered by it. He was just glad that she finally understood that disobedience and disrespect came at a cost. It had become more satisfying for Sinister to see any hope the youngling carried about leaving his domain was almost completely erased. He was also glad that she talked less. Only a brief nod or a slight gesture was all she displayed to understand what he wanted. It was a change from her normal glaring-eyes-and-tense-body-language attitude, but appealing nonetheless.

One evening, Sinister ordered Esri to give him an oil bath. While he bathed in a brass tub of warm steaming water, the youngling scrubbed his shoulders and cleaned the dirt from seams in his fingers. He watched her, he watched her closely; her eyes, her face, her air. Nothing, she looked completely empty like a drone.

Sinister crooked his head in wonder. He had never seen her look so drained or deprived or hopeless since the day he arrived. In his spark he enjoyed this but in his mind he was second guessing. Truly this new behaviour from the youngling was gratifying but…_this was not how I wanted her to behave._ Of course the easiest excuse for this outcome was to blame Megatron. It was he who plagued her mind with false promises and hopeless dreams.

Perhaps he could use that against him in tomorrow's sentence; failing to protect a youngling.

With the hand she pampered, Sinister use it to take hold of her chin and make her look in his direction. Her optics turned away, not wanting to look at his hateful purple optics. He hissed at this and increased his grip. "Look at me!" he growled.

The child trembled at his venomous voice and slowly rotated her eyes to look at him dead centre.

"If you want someone to blame for all this then focus your petty resentment towards Megatron" Sinister's gaze burned into hers. "It was he who broke your promise, it was he who made me strike you and it was he who made me become like this!" he continued, but Esri remained emotionless and still trembled in his grip.

Sinister could see utmost sadness in her optics and…hatred. He got excited for a moment and looked closer. The anger was hidden but it was there. Who it was aimed at Sinister was not entirely sure but eagerly hoped it to be focused on Megatron. If anything, it would even more satisfying if he could get Esri on his side and use her to punish him. Oh, Sinister bubbled with excitement just envisioning it.

But right now he had nothing, she was nothing. It was pathetic the way she moped around like some drone waiting around to be poked or yelled at. He increased his grip again, insuring he had her attention. "I assured you that I would not harm you in the ways I do with your friends. However, giving your recent behaviour, I am deeply considering disregarding that promise" he told her.

Again Esri remained quiet in his grip. Her icy blue optics burned directly into his, completely focused like daggers and fearless. Her trembling stopped when their optics locked and Sinister felt a deathly chill crawl up his spinal structure. He realised this and growled in frustration.

Her new attitude was beginning to agitate him, and the way she looked at him, it seemed unnatural. "You will smile for me or I will put a smile on that pretty face of yours!" he sneered harshly. But Esri was unmoved by the threat. She felt Sinister's shiver and saw something in his gaze, something she hadn't seen before.

Eventually Sinister released her after not getting a response. "What a waste" he muttered and turned his head away. After a moment Esri resumed her task and allowed a small tear to escape her watery optics.

* * *

Megatron dreamed. At least it is what some call it. But due to the lack of energon, the exposure to the harsh climate, the constant physical punishment and the uncomfortable standards of his sleeping arrangements, Megatron faded in and out of conciseness and thus began to have visions. They were memories, old and forgotten. He had not visited these particular recordings for over nine million years and so claimed them to be dreams.

But being long forgotten, Megatron could not completely remember when they took place or where. It was in pieces. Areas struggled to reopen; some even refused and remained locked. Something was keeping them back, something lost and afraid. All Megatron could gather so far was the image of another. A female, posing a striking resemblance to Esri but he could not remember her name, or deliberate why the similarity was so frightfully familiar.

She was beautiful. He could not deny that compliment for her. But as he tried to reach for her, the image began to materialise, dust away even and Megatron felt a painful and gritty sensation blanket his entire frame. The pain felt so real. It scratched him, hundreds and thousands of tiny particles all hitting him at once, getting into the seams of his armour and settling inside. He felt sticky and uncomfortable.

Eventually Megatron awoke, hoping to escape the sensations of his dream, but as his optics flickered back online, he spotted the source of his discomfort. He was greeted with one of Nox's notorious sandstorms and was receiving the full brunt of it. Megatron quickly closed his optics and kept his mouth shut, at least he can protect those but the rest of his body had to endure. Of course Sinister forgot to mention Nox had sandstorms and didn't bother to mention he could detect whenever they hit, so they knew when to be outside and when not to be.

It was surprising how much damage a sandstorm could inflict upon a metal-skin body. But Megatron was heavily damaged and that just added to his already overwhelming pain and discomfort. Healing scars were torn open again as the sand grinded away at the sensitive areas and leaving traces of dust after each passing.

Never had Megatron endured such punishment before. If Sinister did not finish him the works of nature would.

It wasn't until the late evening when the storm began to calm and the winds broke. Very much relieved, Megatron took the time to vent out any loose sand from his systems and achieve some mild comfort in his poor conditions. He looked around for any signs of Jester, the Decepticon who had offered his assistance.

But three days past and there was no sign of the orange and grey flier.

Megatron became doubtful again, the only emotion he could feel and use to pass time while waiting for Sinister's daily beating.

Sleep threatened to take him again, but Megatron forced himself to stay awake. He feared he would not wake up again if he power down, even for a moment he would not risk it. But that didn't stop his body from trying to shut down regardless upon the state of his mind.

As Megatron faded in and out of conciseness again, a soft light hovered over his form. He peered towards the sky, trailing the light he found Primus standing before him, basking in his majestic and gentle demeanour.

The ex-tyrant rumbled a silent growl and turned away from the Creator. "I do not wish to speak with you" he hissed. He was in no mood for a lecture or wisdom. In a way Megatron was angry at Primus.

"You are giving up in such a small time Megatron. I was hoping you were more capable of this task, but now I can see that you want to do nothing but fall into despair" the Creator stated softly, ignoring Megatron's request.

"I am not giving up!" Megatron protested, glaring his optics towards the glowing figure. He panted for a moment before his low energy reserves demanded him to relax.

"Megatron you must try to see-"

"You are nothing more than a coward Primus!" Megatron roared, cutting Primus off, "You claim to be the most powerful being in the Universe, but you did _nothing_ while Esri stood there and bled until she could not stand! You want your people to be saved, to be free and yet you will not use your own power to stop this madness!" he paused to catch his breath, fatigue wearing down upon him from lack of rest and insufficient refuelling. "I could do nothing while Sinister struck an innocent child right before me. I could do nothing while me hands were bound and my body broken! Can you not see the fault in your plan to grant me my own desires when I cannot accomplish that which you have bestowed upon me! This is a waste of time" he said softer, his rage dissipating "I have no weapons, no allies…I have nothing"

Primus knelt beside his pupil and rested a gentle, glowing hand upon his shoulder. "It is nothing where you started Megatron, all those years ago. Before the war, before the arena, before your name was known you were nothing. But you did believed in something others only dreamed of" Megatron tilted his head to look at him. Primus smiled, such surety was clearly expressed on his face it was hard for Megatron to accept. "You have weapons, more powerful than any blade. You will gain allies by proving to those who despise you, why they need to believe in you. This I am certain of"

Megatron vented deeply and deliberated Primus's words.

"Do not give up Megatron. You cannot while Esri is in constant danger" the illuminating figure then dispersed like pure energy and left Megatron alone again.

Primus was right. He had to get Esri away from Sinister, the longer she stayed by his side the more her life was in danger. But how could he get to her while in this state? He could barely move, yet alone stand.

But he couldn't give up. He had to get through this. He had to be patient.

"I must find a way to break my bounds" he muttered to himself.

"I believe this will help" said a familiar foreign voice.

Before Megatron could see it coming, he heard the unsheathing of a blade and the sound of metal slicing metal. His wrists were released. Almost immediately Megatron retreated them to his front and nursed them gingerly against his chest.

"You were getting very loud for a moment. I had believed Sinister returned to torture you again before retiring for the night. But I see it was nothing. Did you know if you speak to yourself others may believe you are mad?" Jester said as his face came in Megatron visual range.

The warlord never felt so relieved to see another being in his existence. At first Megatron wondered if anyone else could see Primus or if was only he who could see the Creator of their race. Or perhaps Primus _only_ wanted Megatron to see him. "I was…" then again, mentioning to another that he was speaking with Primus may make others believe he was truly mad. "There was no one. I was merely expressing my grievances" Megatron said as he tried to force his aching legs to stand.

Jester frowned while he wasn't looking and did a quick look around to see if anyone was watching. Clearly Megatron was speaking with someone, the tone of the verbal conflict was emotional, but he could worry about that query later.

The flier quickly assisted Megatron when he struggled to stand alone. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders and supporting most of his weight, Jester slowly huddled Megatron into the shadows of the market.

"I was beginning to believe you were not fulfilling your promise towards assisting me" Megatron said quietly but his voice carried much strain from his aching limbs.

"I was delayed. I had to create a moment when no guards were patrolling the grounds. Fortunately they are all in Sinister's palace getting high on the energon as they usually do" Jester replied in a hushed tone. "But remember I am doing this for Esri not for you" he insisted.

Again that uncertain feeling about this foreign character returned to Megatron's mind, but he was too exhausted to continued deliberating why that was. "Where are you taking me?" he asked, as they ventured deeper into the cluster of shelters and huts.

"To the one place Sinister will never find you" Jester replied and ensured no one was watching when he carefully entered and hidden shelter near the back of the wall.

* * *

It was dark inside the makeshift hut. Only a single light from a power engine sat in the centre of the room, providing little light but just enough to see its layout. Jester gently placed Megatron down on a large create while the ex-tyrant took in his new surroundings.

Drapes hung from the ceiling, which was comprised of mismatched beams and scaffolding. Tools and equipment hung on the walls and lay upon small tables. Piles of crates stacked in a corner and another entrance leading to another room.

But what was most eye-capturing was a yellow Autobot standing on the far side of Megatron. He had his arms folded across his broad chest, covering a scratched Autobot insignia. His stance was tensed and alert, his face was surprisingly young and reminded Megatron of another yellow Autobot. Aside from all this, the young Cybertronian was not at all pleased with his presence, his face from cross and despiteful.

"Don't mind the youngling, he always looks like that" Jester said, noticing Megatron's gaze towards the Autobot. "Go get Silverwing, please" he asked politely. The Autobot huffed and gave Megatron one last unimpressed look before disappearing through the second entrance. "The boy believes he can take any of us on" Jester said with a mocked laugh.

"Given my current condition, I could agree with him" Megatron replied, somewhat relieved to be somewhere sheltered. "Will he also assist us?"

Jester approached one of the tables and searched for something. "He might. Either he will join willingly, which I have difficulty believing, or Silverwing will order him to, saying it will be good for him"

Megatron watched him return with a small case and an energon cube. He eyed the cube hungrily, his body clenched in desperation when he caught scent of the sweet fuel. Jester handed the cube to the warlord before opening the small case and revealed a syringe of sorts. Megatron was too indulged with drinking the contents of the cube to notice Jester stabbing his arm with a yellow substance.

The sharp but quick pain drew his attention to the orange Decepticon. "What are you doing?" he demanded, removing his arm from his grip and pulling the device from him just as it finished releasing the queer liquid.

"It's fortified high-grade mixed with anti-virus serums. It will help your body recovery and enhance you system's performance" Jester explained and retrieve the syringe. He gestured to the cube, "no one will harm you here I assure you. You're safe here"

"Unless Sinister finds him here and then he'll have all our heads or worse" the young yellow Autobot returned, pushing through the ragged curtain. "Sinister would probably chain us all to pillars and torture us one by one until he gets bored. I told you this was a bad idea and I am not at all going to trust _you"_ he jabs his finger at Jester, "Just because you hate Sinister as much as we do"

"If you wish to see your people free, as much as I Wildfire, then you will take any opportunity to do so" Jester replied, his tone still calm and collective. The youngster's arrogance was nothing more than expected, he was always cautious and alert like all young fighters. "Megatron has influence over the Decepticons, a highly valuable weapon to make them see reason and if not, well I'm sure you have heard what he's capable of when it comes to warfare"

"It will not come to that, I assure you" Megatron intervened. Jester was right when he mention the serum would help. Already he felt less aches and pain. His headache subsided and he felt his strength returning.

"And are we supposed to believe you just like that?" Wildfire argued, his arms folding across his chest again. "Do you expect everyone to forget what you did to Cybertron and hold out our hands willingly? If I didn't know better I think this is just another way for you to gain control over everyone and finally conquer Cybertron from the inside!"

"Calm yourself Wildfire, if this being wanted to conquer us he would have already done so by now" the old voice of the Autobot Elder caught the attention of everyone. Megatron overlooked his fragile form and believed he could fall apart at any moment. He reminded Megatron a lot of Primus, his primary colour was silver with a cobalt blue undercoat. Tips and edges of his folded wings were grey and yellow. His beady optics were purple and he bore a constant tired expression.

"But- sir- this is Megatron, not just some common leech" Wildfire protested, waving his arms in the air to emphasis his point.

Megatron watched as he carefully planted himself on a crate directly opposite him. He looked into his optics and beyond. There was something there. Silverwing could see it in his expression and aura. Something was different about him, but like Jester needed clarity to believe the truth. "Hmm…my friend, Jester here, tells me that you no longer pursue oppression. You have come to Nox baring a new desire to liberate our people and guide them home to a reborn Cybertron. Is this true?" he asked. His voice was weak, aged; he could have easily been one of the first created after the Thirteen.

"It is" Megatron replied, his voice carrying sincerity. "I was approached by our Creator, Primus, who assigned me a task to redeem myself and releasing me of this form, abused by the Chaos Bringer, Unicron himself"

"You fought beside the Chaos Bringer?" Silverwing asked.

"No. Before the rebirth of Cybertron, I had my last battle with Optimus Prime on the small planet of Earth. I perished there, but I could not become one with the All-Spark because of the dark energon I have coursing through my veins and thus binding me to Unicron's anti-spark. It was then he used my dead carcass, moulded me into this form you see before you and used me to destroy Primus, to begin an age of chaos" Megatron looked down at the pulsing star on his chest and traced its jagged shape with his black claws.

Silverwing watched him carefully, searching for any flaw or deception but could not sense or see it. It was the truth, he could feel it. The only thing he needed to know is whether or not he could trust the old warmonger. "So Unicron was defeated, judging by your well-being and Primus once again breathes life into our world"

Megatron looked up and nodded, "Indeed. Optimus Prime retrieved the All-Spark and returned it to the Well of All-Sparks, beginning the new age"

Silverwing nodded, convinced that Megatron was being truthful and deliberated quietly to himself. A silence grew throughout the room, but only Wildfire was having difficulty coping with it all. Despite what his elder says or believes, he didn't trust Megatron; he did not like him at all.

"If I may be so bold to ask, but how is it you are online?" Megatron asked the nagging query musing in his mind. "I had believed you had perished at the hands of Sinister when he first arrived on Nox. Yet here you appear un-harm and well"

Silverwing chuckled humbly, "Sinister did indeed defeat me. Tore me in two right before my very eyes" he struggled to stand and Jester quickly assisted. The old flier revealed the great scar that travelled diagonally down his shoulder to his hip. Ugly as it was, it was barely visible through his old and loosely hanging armour. "I was fortunate that he did not cut through my spark. When my remains were cast away, my people put me back together, even Jester helped, having a soft spark towards the lesser of our kind"

Jester simply smiled and helped Silverwing back down, "Do you trust him, sir? Shall we continue with or without him?" he asked.

The old Autobot nodded, "Yes, I believe we should" he faced the warlord, "Once you are well enough, we must be ready to take down Sinister. Will you help us Megatron?"

He nodded, "Indeed, Sinister's tyranny has gone on for long enough. This madness must end. I promised Esri I would liberate her and her people, I must keep that promise to her"

"We have more Decepticons on the inside who are also in this revolt. I will contact them and ensure they are ready" Jester said before making his exit.

"I still don't believe it's a good idea to allow Decepticons to help us. I mean they were the ones who started it all in the first place" Wildfire grumbled.

Megatron turned to the youngster and was about to talk back when Silverwing intervened. "Son, this is a new age where all have the chance to make a better life, including the cruellest of our kind. Now you will assist Megatron in this mission or I will have you monitoring the communications hub instead"

Wildfire raised his arms in protest, "But that's not fair, why partner me with the monster!"

"Wildfire…" the Elder began sternly.

"It is alright Silverwing. I have been called worse" Megatron assured and gave the young Autobot an amused look. "I will watch over him" he assured.

"Thank you" Silverwing replied.

Wildfire just huffed and looked away.


End file.
